Typhoon Victims Struggle To Survive As Aid Is Slow To Arrive

Soldiers hold back people who are waiting to board a military aircraft in Tacloban. While the government, international aid groups and foreign militaries have rushed to the affected area, they are having trouble getting to the victims because of blocked roads, the U.S. commander on the scene told NPR early Wednesday.

An aerial view shows signs pleading for help and food in the coastal town of Tanawan, central Philippines. When Haiyan made landfall on Friday, it was packing winds that sometimes reached or exceeded 200 mph.

Residents take shelter at a church in Tacloban. On Wednesday, the Philippines' National Disaster Risk Reduction And Management Council estimated 600,000 people have been displaced because of the typhoon.

Typhoon victims wait at an airport to leave Tacloban. A fight for "sheer survival" is underway as more than 220,000 people search for food, water and other essentials in Tacloban, NPR's Anthony Kuhn said Wednesday on Morning Edition.

Indonesia air force personnel load relief supplies in Jakarta, donated for storm victims in the Philippines. Foreign governments and agencies have announced a major relief effort to help victims of the typhoon.

Soldiers hold back people who are waiting to board a military aircraft in Tacloban. While the government, international aid groups and foreign militaries have rushed to the affected area, they are having trouble getting to the victims because of blocked roads, the U.S. commander on the scene told NPR early Wednesday.

A U.S. soldier helps unload relief goods at the airport in Tacloban. Marine Brig. Gen. Paul Kennedy said that U.S. military operations began 72 hours ago and "moved 65 tons of humanitarian assistance supplies" in that time. They plan to move the same amount Wednesday.

A woman rests at the side of a road with her family's belongings near the Typhoon Haiyan ravaged city of Tacloban, central Philippines on Wednesday. The storm slammed into the Philippines five days ago and left a trail of destruction in multiple provinces.

David GuttenfelderAP

Despair and criticisms are mounting in the Philippines as the delays stretch on and residents along the country's eastern seaboard struggle to survive without food or clean water.

According to one local government estimate, just 1 in 5 victims of Typhoon Haiyan has received any assistance.

On Wednesday, the U.S. military expanded its assistance to around-the-clock operations. U.S. Marine Osprey planes joined the procession of mostly military aircraft delivering aid workers and supplies to the devastated city of Tacloban.

Acting U.S. Ambassador to the PhilippinesBrian Goldbeckmet with local officials and watched the planes unload American supplies. When asked about the delays in distributing aid, he replied:

"Well, you know, our job is to get it here. We're confident that the Philippine government will be able to distribute and disburse it as it arrives. All of these things take time. The first part is assessment to know what the damage is, what's needed and where. I think the government has finished that, and now you're starting to see a much larger-scale flow of things."

Tecson Lim, the deputy of the mayor of Tacloban, was at the airport coordinating relief efforts. He blames the delay in part on the breakdown of law and order. He notes that several food warehouses were looted and emptied of food before it could be distributed.

"It took time for the police and the army to come here to secure these warehouses, these food warehouses," he says. "Even before the army could secure these areas, they were already looted."

Now law enforcement authorities say they have the situation under control.

Carmelo Espina Valmoria is director of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force, an elite counterterrorism and search-and-rescue unit. He has 600 men in Tacloban.

"We have already restored the peace and order with the arrival of the police, which started last Sunday because we have to augment the local police, considering that most of them were also victims of the onslaught of the Typhoon," he says.

Meanwhile, crowds of desperate, hungry survivors are still camped out in squalid conditions in and around the airport. They push up against the airport's gates and fences, hoping to get on a plane out of Tacloban.

One of the people helping out is Amado Guerrero Sano, a long-haired painter and photographer from Manila. He says hewas in Tacloban just to visit a friend when the typhoon struck. Sano says his friend and his wife died in the typhoon, and their child is missing.

"It's terrible, I mean, at least I got to see him the last time. But next time I come here, he won't be here anymore," Sano says.

After that, he volunteered to help gather up the many corpses that lay strewn around Tacloban after the typhoon.

"I couldn't focus on anything else but the job of looking at and carrying dead bodies, especially children," he says. "It's only probably last night when I started to feel those emotions, the feeling of wanting to get out of here to go back home to see my family again."

Sano blames climate change for this disaster, and he has a personal connection to the issue. His brother is Naderev Sano, the Philippines' negotiator at climate talks going on in Warsaw. Sano says he's proud that his brother has gone on a hunger strike to press for meaningful progress on the issue.

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Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel. Just one in five victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines has received any assistance, that's according to one local government estimate, and that means Filipinos along the country's eastern seaboard who survived the storm's deadly winds and surge are now struggling to survive without food or clean water.

NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from the devastated city of Tacloban about how people there and their government are coping.

ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: U.S. Marine Osprey planes with their tilting propellers today joined the procession of mostly military aircraft delivering aid workers and supplies to Tacloban. Acting U.S. ambassador to the Philippines Brian Goldbeck met with local officials and watched the planes unload American supplies. He was asked about the delays in distributing the aid. He replied...

BRIAN GOLDBECK: Well, you know, I guess our job is to get here. We're confident that the Philippine government will be able to distribute it and disperse it as it arrives. All these things take time. The first part is assessment, to know what the damage is, what's needed and where. I think the government has finished that and now you're starting to see a larger scale flow of things.

KUHN: Tecson Lim is the deputy of the mayor of Tacloban. He was at the airport coordinating relief efforts. He blames the delay, in part, on the breakdown of law and order. He notes that several food warehouses were looted and emptied of food before it could be distributed.

DEPUTY MAYOR TECSON LIM: It took time for the police and the army to come here to secure these warehouses, these food warehouses. Even before the army could secure these areas, they were already looted.

KUHN: Law enforcement authorities say they now have the situation under control. Carmelo Espina Valmoria is director of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force, an elite counterterrorism and search-and-rescue unit. He has 600 men in Tacloban.

CARMELO ESPINA VALMORIA: We have already restored the peace and order with the arrival of the police. We started last Sunday because we have to met the local police considering most of them were also victims of the onslaught of typhoon.

KUHN: Meanwhile, crowds of desperate, hungry survivors are still camped out in squalid conditions in and around the airport. They push up against the airport's gates and fences hoping to get on a place out of Tacloban. One of the people helping out is Amato Guerrero Sano, or AG for short. He's a long-haired painter and photographer from Manila. He says he was in Tacloban just to visit a friend when the typhoon struck. Sano says his friend and his wife died in the typhoon and their child is missing.

AMATO GUERRERO SANO: It's terrible. I mean, at least I got to see him the last time. But next time I come here, he won't be here anymore, though.

KUHN: After that, he volunteered to help gather up the many corpses which lay strewn around Tacloban after the typhoon. Probably, you have deeper feelings inside about what's happened.

SANO: Definitely have a lot of feelings going on inside me, but day one, I found myself volunteering for the retrieval of the dead bodies so I couldn't focus on anything else but the job, looking at and carrying dead bodies, especially children. Only probably last night when I started to feel those emotions, the feeling of wanting to get out of here, to go back home to see my family again.

KUHN: Sano blames climate change for this disaster and he has a personal connection to the issue. His brother is Naderev Sano, the Philippines negotiator at climate talks going on in Warsaw. Sano says he's proud that his brother has gone on a hunger strike to press for a meaningful progress on the issue. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Tacloban. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.